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Buying a fountain pen, whether as a primary writing implement or as a collector item, is one way in which you can define your personal style and match innovative craftsmanship with your personal belongings. Fountain pens are elegant instruments that may either be extremely expensive items that are intrinsically valuable or are simply valuable for providing you with a means of communicating through the written word.

There are many pen manufacturers who specialize in creating valuable fountain pens. These pens may be made from valuable metals such as gold, silver or platinum or they may be given a hard plastic exterior.

Here at the Fountain Pen Fanatic you will find review information about many of the most popular and collectable fountain pens made by the top brand pen manufacturers. To find out more about these fountain pens as well as information about how to buy the pens you can follow the links on the manufacturers logo.

Some of the better known fountain pens that are worth collecting include the following selection:

Although they may have been vastly overtaken by the modern pens, fountain pens are still highly regarded among aficionados who understand the smooth writing capabilities of the fountain pen nib. These pens were introduced around the turn of the twentieth century and have been going through a process of improvement and innovation ever since.

Pen company names such as Sheaffer, Parker, Waterman, Conklin, Wahl-Eversharp and Mont Blanc have represented the finest in pen craftsmanship for decades. The fountain pens that have been released by these companies and many more have pushed the boundaries in terms of their glamorous appearance, their smooth writing capabilities and the comfortable feel in the hand.

But fountain pens don’t necessarily have to be expensive luxury items to be popular or collectable. The Esterbrook fountain pens that were produced throughout the first half of the twentieth century were easily the most affordable range of fountain pens and they were used as workhorses. But they were also quite attractive looking pens and many examples are still in fine working order today.

Filling methods have long been an important part of the development of fountain pens. Getting the ink into the pen has resulted in a rich history in the fountain pen timeline. Lever fillers and vacuumatic fillers and snorkels and crescents have all meant that the collector has any number specialties to choose from if they wish.

Writing with a fountain pen completes the deal for many serious fountain pen owners. There’s not a lot of point in buying a fountain pen if you are never planning on using it. The fountain pen is created to be used as a writer so it is only logical that when you buy a fountain pen you ink it and put it to use.

Fortunately, using a fountain pen is a pleasure in itself. Many writers have become accepting of the fact that a ballpoint pen is prone to skipping and leaving broken lines all over the page. A fountain pen will produce a consistent unbroken line across the page as the nib releases the stream of ink in a carefully measured fashion.

As well as releasing pens purely to be used to write with, many companies are also producing fountain pens as commemorative or limited edition items. In a lot of cases these releases are available for only a short period of time or they are very restricted in numbers. This can ensure that their value will begin to rise quickly as demand for the pens among collectors starts to rise. For anyone who is attempting to complete a collection of pens it will be necessary to try to pick up these pens as soon after they go on sale as possible. However the secondary market is still a strong one and many different brands and models of fountain pens regularly come on sale and, with some extra effort, can be found at very reasonable prices.

So why would someone suddenly choose to write with a fountain pen? This is a question that anyone who has never used one before might rightly ask. Once they have used a fountain pen their question may well be answered. For those who still haven’t picked up a fountain pen the answer comes down to a couple of very important factors. Fountain pens are comfortable to use. With a ballpoint pen the hand must be quite firm on the pen to exert the appropriate amount of downward pressure to place a consistent amount of ink on the page. With a fountain pen your hand is merely on the pen to act as a guide. It is not necessary to push hard with the pen nib and this makes writing less tiring.

The other factor is that it is a low cost alternative. Many people believe that fountain pens are outrageously expensive. It’s true that a fountain pen costs more for the initial outlay but, when compared to other pens, the life span of a fountain pen is well over 25 years and could very well be the only pen you will ever need to buy. The cost of ink to keep refilling the pen will not be terribly high and each supply of ink should last you for a number of years.

There are many ways to satisfy the urge to collect fountain pens. Vintage fountain pens, unique innovations and unusual colors or patterned designs all provide a suitable starting point. Maybe you are a fan of a particular manufacturer and wish to put together a collection based around a certain model or perhaps you are looking to buy a fountain pen that is a particular color or has been made with a certain material.

Fountain pens are stylish writing instruments that not only look good but feel wonderful in the hand. The smooth glide of the pen nib over the paper makes writing a pleasure with one of the huge bonuses of being a collector coming when you sit down to write. There is a vast array of fountain pens to choose from and these various choices are available here at News Pens.

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